Run game adjustment helps Cashion remain unbeaten with win at Merritt

Lynn Shackelford often brags he’s got the best coaching staff in the state.

Adjustments by that staff helped the Wildcats run to their fourth win of the season.

Cashion racked up 309 rushing yards Friday in downing Merritt 37-7 on the road.

It kept the Wildcats unbeaten at 4-0 as they began their District A-I-1 slate of games.

Cashion led 16-0 at halftime, but the offense wasn’t quite clicking.

“I’ll give Merritt credit,” Shackelford said. “They had a plan to make it hard on us to throw the ball.”

Despite having two rushing touchdowns in the first half, the Wildcats weren’t clicking in either facet of their offense.

But at halftime, longtime offensive line coach D.L. “Dud” Robertson and newcomer to the staff Stuart Purintun made some adjustments in the blocking schemes.

“They changed the scheme on our counter by adjusting who the tight end was blocking and it opened it up for our pullers and running backs,” Shackelford said.

“It made a big difference.”

Cashion wound up averaging 7.2 yards per carry for the game.

Quarterback Kellen Smith picked up 148 yards on just 11 carries.

He started the second half scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run.

Jayden Bolton had three TD carries on the night.

Two came in the first half, both from a yard out.

He added a 12-yard scoring run in the fourth and finished with 86 yards on 19 rushes.

Grayson Davis chipped in another 48 yards on five carries, including a 44-yard scoring run in the third quarter.

It helped offset an “off” night in the passing game as Smith was just 7 of 20 for 120 yards.

“Their plan was to make it tough on us and they did, but we also had several drops,” Shackelford said.

Davis was the only Wildcat with multiple catches as he hauled in five passes for 59 yards.

But Cashion didn’t need a lot on offense, because it gave up very little on defense.

The Oilers’ biggest successes were through the air. Their quarterback was 10 of 19 for 122 yards.

But there was no running the ball with success.

Cashion held Merritt to minus-4 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

“(Defensive coordina-tor) Tony (Wood) had a great plan and the defense played well,” Shackelford said. “Other than a couple of jump balls that Merritt came down with, they didn’t move it at all.”

Cashion’s defense even put up some points as it recorded a safety in the first quarter as Merritt’s quarterback was called for grounding in the end zone.

Austin Compton led the unit with nine tackles.

Slade Williams added seven.

They combined for three of Cashion’s five tackles for loss in the game.

The Wildcats finally return home this week to their new stadium.

After opening the season there in Week 0, Cashion has had three road games and a bye week.

The Wildcats host Watonga, which is 0-4 and coming off a 63-18 loss to Fairview.